"You knocked him out in one hit?" Helen smiled at Sadie's surprised tone, sipping at the bottle of beer she took from Pearson's wagon. She was surrounded by the women of the camp that night, recounting the fight at Valentine.
"Yup - one swift kick and Javier now owes me his life," she boasted, nodding. "Did you get hurt?" Abigail's son, Jack, asked. Helen glanced down at him with a smirk; "I got a little roughed up, but it ain't nothing I can't handle, little man," she told him with a wink.
He giggled, leaning into his mother shyly; "Were the boys okay?" Tilly asked. Helen scoffed proudly, sipping at her beer; "Thanks to me, they were. Beat the sh- crap out of them moron Valentine people," she boasted with a grin.
"Damn, I wish I had followed ya!" Sadie grumbled, bumping shoulders with Helen. The sound of horse hooves caught their attention, and they watched Arthur ride into camp.
"I didn't even know you was gone, Morgan!" Helen called teasingly. A second horse appeared behind Arthur, and her smile immediately dropped. Hosea stepped down from his horse, mumbling something to Arthur before walking off.
Helen dropped her beer bottle, ignoring the glass shattering as she stared him down. "Helen, no," Sadie muttered, stepping in front of her. Hosea glanced over at her, and he slowed for a moment.
The women cautiously surrounded the enraged outlaw, making sure no eyes were on her. There were a few, however, that were already aware of the slowly escalating situation.
Helen finally moved, finally blinked once Hosea turned away from her. "I need to go for a ride," she hissed, shoving past Sadie. "Not when you've been drinkin'!" Tilly protested. "I'll be fine!" Helen beckoned her horse Lotus, jumping into her saddle. "Let me come with you!" Sadie insisted. "No!"
Quickly, Helen sped off into the woods, spurring her horse to put as much distance between her and the camp as possible. I can't face him...I just can't. Surprise tears suddenly sprung to her eyes, and she would have let them flow freely if she didn't hear a horse behind her.
"I...I said leave me alone, Sadie!" she called, her voice a little shaky. "It's Charles, actually." Dammit! Helen furiously wiped her eyes as he appeared at her side.
"The hell are you doin', followin' me?" she muttered, avoiding his gaze. "I was worried," he replied honestly. There was no hesitation or shyness in Charles' tone, and his voice was quiet and gently.
"We don't have to talk if you don't want to...but I'll stay with you until you feel better."
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Family in Shambles
FanfictionShe had been going it alone for three years, since her mother had passed away. She had been learning to survive and doing what she NEEDED to do to survive, no matter the consequences. She knew how to lie low and hide from the law, and she became a v...
